The first Philippine nurses in the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County qualified as practical nurses

The Philippine nurses have been in apprenticeship training in Omnia since September 2022, studying to become care assistants and later practical nurses. On Wednesday 17 January, the nurses celebrated their graduation.

Tuula Suominen, Director of Services for the Elderly of the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, spoke at the graduation ceremony. She welcomed the graduation of the first professionals recruited using this model.

"It is not easy to acquire qualifications in Finland, even if you have received high-quality education in your country of origin. As an employer, we have attempted to make the processes lighter. We need internationally recruited professionals. Your excellent work motivation has been praised in the work community. The recruitment process will be further developed based on your feedback. With your help, we have also been able to improve as an employer," Suominen said to the practical nurses.

At the event, Joint Authority Director Tuula Antola presented scholarships for students and thanked them for their important work.

"I thank you for already having demonstrated your professionalism and for choosing to come here to do this exact work." Your training process has been a great success, and together we can continue to make it even better in the future."

For reasons related to the country of origin, Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County will first hire the nurses for a fixed period of two years, but the aim is to eventually provide permanent employment.

The HR Partner of the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County's Services for the Elderly, international recruitment expert Mari Pyy explains that international recruitment is based on the employer's permanent need.

"There is a permanent shortage of employees in the care sector. Combined with the concurrent ageing of the population, an equation is formed in which international recruitment is required," she says.

The new graduates had found employment in the services for disabled people and in the housing units of the wellbeing services county, for example. The conclusion of the employment contracts was followed by the conclusion of apprenticeship contracts with Omnia.

"The operating methods and the sharing of knowledge in workplace instruction, for example, will be further developed on the basis of the feedback we have received," says Pyy.

Omnia works in close collaboration with the actors in the region in training internationally recruited nurses. The next students in the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County are already in apprenticeship training, and plans for further collaboration are being discussed.

Teachers in the social and health care sector have extensive experience in the instruction of international students. Finland's first English-language practical nurse training programme was launched at the Joint Authority of Education in the Espoo region already in the late 1990s.

The newly graduated practical nurses have spent two days a week studying.

The Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County and Omnia have jointly created an apprenticeship model that takes into account the skills and work experience of employees coming through international recruitment. The strategic partnership between Omnia and the wellbeing services county reinforces joint planning and the flexible development of education.

"The training has been designed and developed in close collaboration with the employer. Workplace instructors are provided tailored training with a designated coordinating teacher. Workplace instructor training has focused on providing guidance for multicultural students in particular," says Ulla-Maija Arminen, the coordinating teacher for the graduate nurses.

The students' existing skills and competences have been identified and recognised, for example, by comparing the education they have received in their country of origin to the qualifications of a practical nurse.

"Instruction has focused on the acquisition of the missing competence, while listening to the wishes of the employer. Most students have been trained as nurses in their country of origin," explains Ulla-Maija Arminen.

Omnia trains workplace instructors to support on-the-job learning. The students have given positive feedback on the Finnish working language glossaries and easy-to-read materials they have received from Omnia to support their learning.

The social and health care teachers and teachers of the common units at Omnia have familiarised themselves with the training provided in the country of origin.

Omnia's Branch Director Tommy Mård also spoke at the graduation ceremony, saying that qualifying as a practical nurse in just over a year's time is a great achievement.

Louie Ann Castro and Grail Kitongan spoke for the graduates at the ceremony. In their speeches, they reminisced about the beginning of their studies and about overcoming challenges, and gave thanks to their teachers and workplace instructors.

"We have learned a lot, but we still have a lot to learn. We're eager to learn more and move forward," Castro said.

Grail Kitongan said that overcoming challenges encourages moving forward.

"I will always keep in mind that we have all been through a lot of different things, and that the challenges we face can be overcome. Nursing requires the ability to be friendly and understanding to be able to build a care relationship that is based on trust. We will also learn more Finnish every day."